Author's Note: here it is, in less time than it took me to update last time. (barely) This should be a fun chapter. Lots of interesting character interactions. ^_^ Please let me know what you're thinking. Input, feedback, random comments, and constructive criticism is always more than welcome.
Also – please don't stop sending me quotes and such. Short stories, folklore that might apply, etc. is also welcome. ^_^ Please send it to me via e-mail though.
Author's thanks at end.
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. . .world-losers and world-forsakers, on whom the pale moon gleams: yet we are the movers and shakers of the world forever, it seems. Tess kept thinking about that line as the plane took off and the kids grew excited and her patient started drawing further and further into himself. She'd definitely consider herself a world-loser, and she had the feeling that Sands was about ready to forsake the world. And yet, the safety and immediate future of five people depended on her. That responsibility stretched before her like an endless desert highway, and the sight was almost enough to send panic blazing through her mind.
The possibility of physical and mental breakdown is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of 'This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but a whimper.' It's a bit calmer, and life – new growth – usually comes from the ending of one season.
Can you be any more bucolic? The voice sounded absolutely disgusted.
"Tía Tessa, tía Tessa." Insistent hands on her arm woke Tess from her inner musings. She looked over to her side and at the young boy seated next to her. René was excited about something.
"What is it, René?"
"I wanna see the pirate."
"The pirate?"
"I think he means the 'pilot'." Tess looked past her young charge and up into the face of an older woman in a uniform. "Hi, my name is Tina. I'm in charge of things here, and your friend, Dr. Pierce, mentioned that you had some youngsters with you. I thought they might want to explore the plane. If it's alright with you."
The woman had dark hair that was just beginning to grey and her eyes were a kind, soft grey. She seemed trustworthy, and there was little she could do to the children on while they were all on the plane. Tess switched her gaze from Tina to René, and then to Alma and Marcos. They all had the same hopeful expressions on their faces.
If it keeps them distracted for a bit, why shouldn't they be able to? "Ok, that sounds nice. If you wouldn't mind watching them for a bit . . . ."
The woman nodded, then leaned across René to speak directly to Tess. "Dr. Pierce mentioned that you might want the option of taking a nap. I can keep them busy for an hour or two, so don't worry about sleeping if that's what you want to do."
Tess gave a wry smile. "Sounds as if it's time I start listening to the counsel of others. I think you may be the third or forth person to mention that I need sleep in as many days." Looking at the kids as Tina stood upright once again, Tessa said in a louder voice, "Go on then. Go have fun, but behave yourselves." As the kids rapidly unbuckled themselves, Tess was glad to hear that Tina was fluent in Spanish. Undoubtedly another detail that Logan had taken care of. She'd have to have a word with him about playing big brother.
Right after we land – and I get some sleep.
And Sands? You're not being very attentive to his needs.
Sands needs painkillers, but he doesn't want any. I can't force them down his throat.
But you could have fun trying.
Tess rubbed her head, tired of the constant chatter, then looked at Sands. He was sitting quietly in his seat, head rolling on his shoulder. It appeared that he'd managed to fall asleep. See, he doesn't need me at the moment. I can sleep.
Aw, you want to visit me.
No! I want sleep. Please. Just go away for an hour or two. Then I promise to listen to whatever it is you want to say to me.
Deal!
Had she been any less tired, the triumphant glee in that single syllable would have caused her to change her mind. But her eyes were already closing, and her mind was starting to drift. Soon she slipped under the black waves of sleep, undisturbed by anything more than the slight coolness of the air.
Payton hadn't been working long at Tomorrow's Cures, the firm that Logan belonged to. She liked her job though; it was easy enough. She got paid a full salary for making three or four flights a month, and other than that, had no responsibilities whatsoever. But when she was on the job, she was careful to be very diligent and to make sure that she gave her full attention to the passengers. That's why when she went into the cabin, she did her best to make the man and woman there as comfortable as she could.
The woman was curled up in her chair, her knees practically drawn up to her chest. It must be too cold in here for her, Payton thought. Being the kind and caring person she was, she reached into an overhead compartment and pulled out a lightweight blanket. Carefully, she draped it over the woman passenger, making sure to cover her from chin to toe. The woman didn't stir. That was easy enough.
She was turning to leave when the man caught her attention. He too appeared to be asleep, but he didn't look very comfortable. The way his head was turned into the chair and the glasses that were still on his face . . . That must be uncomfortable. I'll just take care of that for him.
With any other person, the gesture might have been appreciated, or at least understood. But Sands wasn't normal – had never been normal. And Payton was rougher than she should have been with someone with a rather extreme injury.
As she removed the sunglasses from Sands' face, he moved his head, and one earpiece scraped across is face at the exact same moment that Payton realized why he hadn't removed the glasses himself. The empty holes where his eyes used to be were horrible to see even for people trained to be clinical and detached – for a naïve stewardess, it was like gazing into a nightmare. Her small shriek of surprise and disgust mingled with Sands' low cry of pain.
Sands had been sleeping dreamlessly for once. Which wasn't to say that his mind wasn't filled with things as he was unconscious – the constant drone of the engines set off an answering buzz in his head. Even asleep he was somewhat aware of it.
But suddenly vague memories from the Day of the Dead exploded in his head, all the more startling because of their previous absence. There were no images – why should there be? He hadn't seen anything after Guevera had set in with his drill, but the sensations and sounds were screaming for his attention. He could remember being levered off the table he'd been strapped to, and could recall the feel of hands leading him to the door to the outside world that he could no longer see. He could hear laughter and bets being taken against his prolonged survival. Fuckers. I'll show them. Then, almost as an afterthought, someone had shoved his glassed back on his face. But they'd missed by a few inches, and the sliding of the earpiece over the skin of his temple had been almost indistinguishable from the other pain throbbing behind his face like a racquetball against a gym wall. But it'd been separate enough to set off a new series of lightning-like strikes of pain through his body.
Sands jerked himself out of the dream, only to find that it wasn't a dream. The pain was real, and intense, and the hysterical screams were filling his ears. For a moment he wondered if he was the one screaming, but then decided that it was someone else. Why would someone else be screaming?
What do you think, fuckmook. Someone's been snooping.
The anger filled him swiftly and uncontrollably. He knew that was bad, but at the moment he really didn't care either. Whoever had been meddling had to be taken care of.
Tess had been sleeping, deeply and without interruption. So when her mind had registered a loud disturbance, she'd been reluctant to awaken. She didn't want to have to deal with anything at the moment. She felt too tired and too drained to deal with yet another emergency.
If you don't deal with it, who will Teresa? Whoever is supposed to be handling it doesn't sound as if they're doing a good job of it.
I don't want to wake up. There was a loud crashing sound and agitated yells. The voice was quiet, but judging. Distraught, she cried out to it, Haven't I dealt with enough of this sort of thing in my life?! Why are you forcing me to deal with more?!
I'm not forcing anything, Teresa. You're the one who's taken on this responsibility.
At your urging!
Not my fault you listened, is it?
¡Vete a la chingada! Tess forced herself to wake up, levering heavy eye-lids open. The stupor that slowed her mind and body from her impromptu nap didn't last for long once she saw what was going on in the cabin. There was a woman standing in one corner, babbling incoherently, punctuating her nonsense with the occasional hysterical shriek. Because of the annoyance this generated, Tess had a hard time understanding what was happening . . . . that is until she saw the pair of sunglasses hanging limply from the woman's hand.
No. Oh, no. Please, Mary, Jesus, Joseph, and all the saints– Tess stood up, narrowly missing slamming her head into the overhead compartment. Sands. Swiveling her head with something akin to desperation, Tess found her patient and traveling companion being held back by one of the male crewmembers. He was fighting against the hold, but wasn't managing to do much. In fact, he seemed to be launching more hits towards phantom enemies than towards the man holding him back.
All this Tess had managed to notice in a split second, but it was the sight of his uncovered eyes that held her in place with shock. She didn't know why, but the sight of his empty eye sockets was more repelling in the everyday world that it had been in her little house. Time froze as she seemed to realize the full impact of what her family had taken from this man.
But there was no time for freezing. Sands managed to slam his elbow back into the diaphragm of the man who was holding him back, knocking the breath from him. The man let Sands go, and with that action, time and reality seemed to slam back down on Tessa. She scrambled across the seats as Sands followed the noise of the now screaming flight attendant, the sound of Sands' own voice ringing in her ears as he cursed in fluent English and Spanish and what she thought was Portuguese.
Ignoring her irreverent voice which was asking where he'd learned Portuguese, Tess grabbed her patient's arm as he passed her, pulling him back. He was half lost to the world, a condition she would have called hysterical in anyone else, but not in him. Not realizing who she was, he took a swing at her, and she ducked out of the way. "Sands! It's me, Tessa. Listen to me." He didn't react apart from lashing out at her again. This time she didn't move quickly enough, and his fist clipped the corner of her eye. It hurt, but she'd had worse. "Sands, please calm down. It was an accident. She didn't know – she wasn't trying to hurt you; I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. Please, believe me." He ignored her.
What makes you think he can hear you over the demons that grip him? Tess ducked under another fist, coming up inside his grasp, her chest pressed against his. A fist hit her kidney, and she gasped in pain. Are you going to let him kill you? She backed away and barely jumped aside in time to miss the kick that was meant to shatter her knee. Hey, at least you took his gun.
Not helping . . . . Tess knew that the standard tactic to snap people back into reality was a nice, sharp slap to the face. She couldn't do that. If pain was driving him mad, then more pain was not going to help. But how was she supposed to gain his attention enough for his mind to regain control of itself?
An idea occurred to her. Perhaps not the best idea she'd ever had, but it was better than slapping a man she'd just promised to keep from harm.
He never heard that promise.
But I did. It's in the air. From my lips to the gods' ears. It's too late to take it back. Timing her moment, recalling the self-defense lessons she'd been forced to learn as a child and as a teen, Tess lunged for Sands the moment his pain distracted his attention from the person he thought he was fighting off. She slammed into his body, grabbing his wrists and holding them with all the strength available to her. She felt Sands hit the wall, and the moment they were no longer moving, she raised herself on her toes. With the added leverage, she was able to keep his hands pinned near the wall, although it was a fight to keep them under control. Good thing he's still weak, else I'd be in serious pain right now.
You can't last for much longer. Do what you have to while you still can.
The voice was right. Even with Sands weakened from pain and convalescence, he was quickly eating up what strength she had to contain him with. If she didn't do something now, she might not be able to do anything. Taking a deep breath, Tess covered Sands' mouth with her own, pressing his head back towards the wall when he tried to balk. His struggles grew more intense, and Tess tightened her grip while starting to pray silently. Please, please come back. It's just me, just me. No one else. No one is trying to hurt you. You can stop fighting. Stop fighting. Please . . . .
Sands wasn't sure what was going on. His head was throbbing, his mind revolting, his body moving, and his eyes – his non-existent eyes – were screaming with pain and trespass. He didn't know what was happening, and he knew that was dangerous, but the suspicion that he was in danger was more compelling than the knowledge that he should stop. Sharks died if they stopped swimming, and if he didn't fight, the same would happen to him.
Out. Have to get out. He didn't know where the exit was. It hadn't been too far away. He'd caught a glimpse of it as he'd confirmed that he was within the hold of the cartel. He just needed to find it. He was CIA; he could do this.
A hand grabbed his arm, and he fought against it in the same way he'd fought against the man holding him back. Not quite as defenseless as they all thought. He heard a gasp of pain, but the person trying to restrain him didn't let go. If anything, they grew more determined. He heard someone talking, but he was having a hard time understanding. The pain in his head warped everything. Maybe that was a good thing. He didn't think he'd be able to handle all the facts at the moment.
Why were they so persistent? Hadn't they done already done their worst? Why did they keep holding him back. A scream fought his control and clamped lips as another wave of pain washed over him. His opponent took their chance, driving him back against the wall and pinning his wrists. Whoever it was he was fighting against wasn't very strong; he was still able to move his arms, albeit not very far. Then the grip tightened and his mobility lessened yet again, and then there was a pair of determined lips against his mouth.
Ajedrez.
No. I killed her. That he was sure of. He wasn't sure how he could be so certain, but he was. Besides, she had a bit more skill when it came to kissing than this person did. He tried to move his head, but the mouth on his only became more insistent.
He couldn't breathe. The body pressing his to the wall was keeping his lungs from expanding. He tried to breathe through his mouth, but the one on his didn't permit air to enter his lungs that way. He tried to be content with what air he could suck in through his nose, but it wasn't enough to fuel both the extreme pain and his fight. He could feel his struggles growing weaker, could feel the mind-altering pain subside and become a throbbing cadence throughout his body. As his muscles relaxed against his will, he could feel the person against him lowering their guard.
Last chance. The mouth against his was relenting its pressure. The moment he felt he could do something, he struck out with his knee, catching whoever was holding him in the gut. He heard them collapse, but he wasn't far behind him. Unable to stay on his feet, he fell to his knees.
"Damnit Sands, that was unnecessary." A woman's voice reached his voice. It was breathless, as if the owner was finding it troublesome to breathe.
He knew that voice. The woman, the crazy one. Tessa. He could remember where he was, what had happened, and where he was going. "What the hell was that?"
Tess laughed, still trying to convince her lungs that they really did want to breathe. "Hell if I know." She pulled herself to her knees, seeing how her patient was swaying on his knees. The ashen tone of his skin concerned her, but not as much as the groan that fought its way out of his chest. "Stay with me, Sands. I don't think either of us has the strength to go through that again." He flipped her off, and the sight of his raised finger encouraged her in a perverse fashion. "Thatta kid." She reached out and laid a hesitant hand on his shoulder. He tried to shrug it off, but didn't have the strength to dislodge it. "No, don't fight. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down."
"That was some low grade sugar." Sands could feel his grip on reality sliding towards blackness. That's interesting. He was about to pass out, and for the life of him, he really couldn't give a damn.
Tess was about to make a biting comeback, or at least rattle off another confusing quote, but what Sands did next surprised her too much. One moment he was swaying on his knees, and the next he was falling. She just barely managed to catch him before he hit the ground.
For a moment she simply held him in her arms, aware that he was breathing and his heart was beating and he wasn't leaking blood. It was a novel experience for her, one she was unsure of how to deal with. She wasn't used to holding people anymore than she was used to being held. No one had ever cared about her enough to hold her, and she'd never cared enough for someone to hold them.
What's in your head, Teresa?
She jumped like a little kid who'd been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Nothing. I didn't want him to hurt himself more by hitting the floor.
He's been out of that danger for some time now.
"Looks like you've had a bit of excitement." Tess looked up into Tina's understanding eyes, relieved to be able to focus on something other than the insinuations of her voice, but scared. She didn't want to be feeling anything that needed understanding.
If her voice had a face, it would be grinning evilly.
Aftermath. Tess hated dealing with aftermath. While she was managing to survive in the moment, things were fine. The voice usually left her alone then. But aftermath was nothing more than a theme park for her voice. It rioted through what had happened and what needed to happen with all the enthusiasm of a paraplegic who found he could suddenly walk.
Tina was extremely helpful with the aftermath up to a point. She managed to convince Mike – the man who'd been doing his best to detain Sands – to come back and help get the unconscious man into his seat, and she also kept the kids busy while Tess saw to her patient.
Of course, getting him back into his seat had been the biggest struggle. Not that he was awake to give her any trouble, which was a blessing in itself. As long as he stayed unconscious, she was able to tend to him and give him a shot of codeine. She would have preferred to use something stronger, but she knew he didn't want anything in his system to begin with, so she compromised and hoped that she wouldn't end up reaping trouble for it later.
When Tess finally sat down again, struggling to control both her actively rebelling mind and her growing tempter, Tina was there to provide distraction.
"Ms. Gonzales? Is there anything else I can do for you? Can I get you some Ibuprophen or an ice pack?" The older woman thought that the spot where Sands had caught Tess with his fist might bruise.
"Who was it?" Tess was sitting with her head in her hands. She could feel her temper and confusion battling for dominance over her mind. She couldn't deal with the questions her meddlesome voice was raising at the moment, so she gave in to her temper. "The woman who took off his glasses. Where is she? I want to talk to her."
There must have been something about her voice that gave Tina pause, because she didn't answer right away. And when she did finally answer, her voice was cautious. "Payton's in the back. I'm afraid that she got quite a scare."
The explanation infuriated Tess. She rose to her feet and started pacing, her hands clenched together behind her back to keep them from trembling with anger and exhaustion. "Good. She deserved to be scared. She deserved to be frightened out of her wits." She hurt someone under my care. He's mine. No one should hurt him. Continuing her pacing, Tess continued in an agitated voice, "She intruded on a man's privacy – causing him extreme physical and emotional pain. This in turn threw the entire cabin into an uproar, and she was damn lucky things didn't get anymore serious." They would have if I hadn't taken away his gun. "One of your crewmen was injured, I'm not feeling all that great, and if the children had been in here they would have been terrified. Who knows what other repercussions are going to arise from this? I certainly don't, but I know that I'm the one who's going to have to deal with them, not that overly-attentive woman barely out of childhood. That damn busybody deserves a hell of a lot more than a simple scare."
Tessa's voice, noticing her agitation, was more than happy to switch its attention from the feelings the episode with Sands had raised to her anger with the young flight attendant. Tess felt the surge of uncontrollable rage as it fed the anger, panic, and guilt gripping her. It got into her head and it was all she could do to keep herself from screaming at it or at Tina, who was only trying to help her. Oh god, oh god. No. Please no. With the speed of long practice, Tess turned her anger into an extra wall to keep her other side from overwhelming her.
"Ms. Gonzales?"
"Teresa," she gasped. She needed all the reminders she could get of who she really was by this point. If she wasn't extremely careful, she was going to fall to pieces right here and now, and she highly doubted that the crew was trained to deal with someone having a schizophrenic episode. "Please, call me Teresa." Tess sat back down, taking the seat next to Sands. She reached over to take his pulse, more of a motion to cover her growing disturbance than to ensure herself that he was alright. "Just keep her away from us. I know it was an accident, but keep her away. I don't want to set eyes on her again." If I do, I don't know if I can be held responsible for what I'll do to her.
You're so tame, Teresa. You should be asking for her head, demanding her job. Your father never would have stood for this. Why are you? Find the woman. You've got Sands' gun. You know how to use it. Punish her for hurting someone under your care. Do it. Before she does it again. Stop her before she can hurt someone else you care for.
"No! Just be quiet!"
You're talking out loud, Teresa.
"Teresa?" Tess froze, sure that the balance had finally tipped to the voice's favor, before realizing that Tina was the one addressing her. "Are you alright?"
It was the concern in the woman's voice that made Tess look at her. She saw in the other woman's eyes that she knew; that she knew about her 'mental instability'. Instability. Ha. It's more like trying to balance on a rolling ship while only having the use of one leg. Logan must have told her. "I . . . I'm sorry. It's been a long day. I'll take something in a moment." It was suddenly hard to keep her eyes open. She knew her control was crumbling rapidly and that she'd demanded too much from it as of late. I need sleep.
"Do you want me to keep the kids occupied until we land? I can do it. There's lots to see and do on even a plane this size. And the baby wouldn't be a problem either. Until my daughter decides to settle down I don't have anyone else to spoil."
Tess nodded, the other woman's concern touching her deeply.
Don't read into it too far. It's her job to be nice and helpful.
Ignoring the cynical tone to that comment, and the ring of truth behind it, Tess nodded. "If you wouldn't mind, that would be wonderful."
"It's not a problem at all, and you'll sleep better if you know everyone is looked after."
Tess wasn't about to go back to sleep after what had happened the last time she'd tried, but she nodded. "Thank you." She watched at Tina scooped Lena into her arms and left the cabin, closing the door behind her.
Once she was sure she was alone, Tessa got up from her seat and opened her trunk, which was still out after giving Sands a dose of painkillers. Quickly, she located her booster shot and gave it to herself. Settling back down, this time across from Sands, she waited for it to take hold.
Time passed in silence for five or ten minutes before her voice became aware of what she'd done. In retaliation it broke in on her emptying mind, raising all the concerns and tangled feelings that it'd been saving for later. You pretend to be a detached medical 'practioner', but you're not. You're a phony. It's no wonder your father called you home after you graduated. You could handle the classes and the internship, but working as a resident or in private practice would have killed you by now. You're getting close to this man. Interested. Fascinated. Enthralled. You pretend you don't know what's happening, but you do. You like him. You must be a masochist. But that's okay, because I think he's a sadist. So therefore, you're the perfect couple, really.
That's ridiculous. I don't like him. You're right, perhaps I'm coming to care for him – and that wasn't in the plan – but I don't like him. I know exactly what would come of liking him – nothing. I've had relationships like that with people already, thank you. Sands had his glasses back on – Tess had been sure to replace them before even doing so much as giving him something for the pain – and his face was pale. Almost as pale as it'd been the day she'd brought him home with her.
You weren't exactly feeling repulsed when you kissed him back there.
I wasn't turned on either. She couldn't see any blood, but that was to be expected by now. His wounds should have healed enough that they wouldn't break open at a moment's notice. However, he had managed to rough himself up. She'd better check on that.
Admit it – you've wanted to do that for awhile now, and there was a part of you who was sorry to stop kissing him. Tess swore that the voice took a perverse pleasure in reminding of her exactly how Sands' lips had felt underneath hers. She didn't want to remember. Remembering implied that she cared enough about it to give it a spot in her memory.
Irritably, Tess replied. Yeah, you. You were the one that was sorry. I wasn't thrilled about doing it in the first place. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.
Oh, so it's worked its way up to being an 'experience' now, has it? Tess didn't answer. She could tell that the voice was getting weaker. In a few more minutes she wouldn't have to put up with its questioning any longer. Tell me, what would you have done if he'd responded? What would you have done if he'd tried to take things farther?
Her eyes darted to his lips despite herself. I would have stopped him. It wouldn't have been hard in his condition.
And if he remembers and tries to . . . oh, I dunno, resume that little scene? Then what will you do? Will you fight . . . or will you lay down and spread your legs for him?
He's not going to try anything.
And if he does? You still haven't answered my question Teresa.
"Fuck off." There was no reply – the medication had finally taken hold. Tess sighed in relief, and then sat up as straight in her chair as she could. She wasn't going to risk sleep again until she had them all safely tucked away in LA.
The plane landed at LAX a little more than three hours later. This time they would be disembarking at a terminal, and Logan was supposed to be waiting for them. Tessa found that Tina would be going with them as far as the gate, though she volunteered to go as far as the car with them. The younger woman accepted this offer with some gratitude, thinking that she was going to have enough on her hands with helping Sands without angering him without watching after the kids as well. It was hard to lend a helping hand while also holding a baby in one arm and keeping a hand on child who was prone to wander. And her head hurt, but that was a minor consideration.
"'Giovanni', we're here. It's time to wake up." With all the care she'd put into waking a slumbering tiger, Tess reached out a hand and laid it on Sands' shoulder. "We need to get moving. I want to take another look at your stitches and I can't do that here. I'd shock people if I started undressing you in public." The voice stirred at the mention of undressing someone, but it settled when it realized it'd been a joke. However, Sands started to stir and didn't stop.
"Fuck, my head hurts." Why couldn't he remember why it hurt?
"I'm not surprised. Neither of us was being all that gentle there for a moment."
"Ah, niña, you should have waited until I was fully conscious before letting me lay you."
If he was making comments like that, he was fine. She ignored the blush that came to her face at his comments and their similarity to the conversation she'd been having earlier. "Hope springs eternal in the human chest; man never is, but always to be blest. We both know that's not what happened, although I don't doubt that thoughts like that have a prominent place in your dreams. Can you stand?"
He hated to admit it, but he thought he might have a bit of trouble with that. Sands took his time as he levered himself out of the seat. He was tired. And sore. But at least he was standing on his own two feet and not leaning on the woman in front of him. At least he assumed she was in front of him. It was hard to tell at the moment; it was hard to focus at the moment. But at least he was standing. "Let's blow this joint." The idea of blowing something up had a certain amount of attraction at the moment. Not that he'd be able to see it.
He followed the sound of childish laughter and Tessa's footsteps as the group left the plane. The room was spinning around him, or to be more precise, he was suffering from an extreme case of vertigo – he couldn't see the room. He was fine as long as the floor was solid underneath him, but the moment they stepped into the terminal, his steps faltered.
Before Sands could make a fool of himself, Tessa was there, slipping an arm around his waist and raising his own arm to lay around her shoulders. She continued talking with another woman, not saying a thing to him. That suited Sands just fine – if she'd made some sort of comforting remark he would have hurt her. This whole being dependent on another person was getting old real quick. Not to mention that Tess didn't show any signs of getting tired of supporting him.
"Johnny Depp."
"What?" Was it just him, or had that come out of nowhere?
"You asked who I used for your passport photo. It was a photo of Johnny Depp. Of course, we doctored it a little. No one is as gorgeous as Johnny." Was she teasing him?
The moment that they were back on solid ground, Tess removed her arm from around his body, although she didn't move far away from him. She was careful to stay close by his side and to keep her voice raised above the sudden bombardment of sound that enclosed them. Sands was starting to dislike airports.
On this side of the border, the security check was more cursory than thorough. Maybe it was the fact that the was a genuine American citizen with them, or perhaps it was that he looked like he was ready to fall flat on his face at the slightest provocation – he really didn't care at this point. Whatever had happened earlier – and it really disturbed him that he couldn't remember – had taken a lot of his strength. I'm going to have to get some answers out of Tess later. He had the feeling that he'd lost control for a moment, and that was never good.
They passed through the security checkpoint, and suddenly Sands heard a squeal. If it's an attack, I hope they just shoot me. The sound of footsteps running away from him let him know that he wasn't in imminent danger. Tess would never leave someone under her care to fend for themselves as she ran for safety. She must have seen someone she recognized. A moment later a man's voice confirmed his suspicions. "T!"
A smallish hand slipped into his. "Hóla, señor."
"Hey kid." Sands was busy concentrating on what he could hear of Tessa's reunion. There was laughter and the sound of hands slapping against backs. "Who's the guy la señorita is with?"
"I don't know, señor. He's tall and blonde. I think –"
Whatever else Marcos had been about to say was cut off by a loud round of laughter and a man's voice saying, "I'm a relatively respectable citizen."
Tess joined him for the rest of the statement before the man could finish. "Multiple felon perhaps, but certainly not dangerous." They both laughed.
Oh god, not another one. If this was his doctor, maybe he should give up now.
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Quotes: umm . . . quotes. Can always use more quotes. Anyway, this chapter I quoted: Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas, T.S. Elliot, Marry Poppins, Milton, and another dose of Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas. So there. ^_^
Author's Thanks: *wails dramatically* Only seven reviews! Oh, I've bored people to death! *crying*
Anyway, thanks to: Merrie (who's always demanding off-topic smut. *sighs* That's alright. I enjoy writing it and I pester you with my philosophical SJ questions, so I suppose we're square.), Ashley (my wonderful beta who catches more than I ever do. I love seeing the amount of blue in my beta copies. Let's me know you're working hard. That's why I pay you the big bucks. *hands over a peanut*), Pixy (I tried to get this out, but no luck. Sorry.), Adrejon (the gun part was fun, wasn't it?), TaraRose (this enough tension for you? ^_^), and Blank (Finally got to the ID part this chapter. I really did mean to get in last time, but the timing never seemed quite right. *grins apologetically* forgiven?).
New reviewers for this chapter: gee (by all means, write down the quotes you like ^_^) and AsMiLinNgFoOl (don't have to wait any longer ^_^)
Ode to the missing reviewers: oh, Lucky11, vera, and gypsylemon. You were there at the first, but now you're gone! Woe to me, I crave the praise of those who took pity on a new fanfic writer and encouraged her! Tari Troi, IloveSands, and fiondra! I heard from you all at one point, but you've disappeared! How I miss you all! Kaliko! And you! You were also an encouragement. You made me laugh with your lines and lines of 'more!' The Flaming Chia Pet! You encouraged me with your righteous indignation. And now you're not here. *cries* And kinkyfrodo! Have you abandoned this realm for that of hobbits and elves and magic rings?! Come back! Logical Philosophy! You told me stories, and now I am story-less. Woe is me! Kim! You of the moose-mail! Have thou migrated? Aurelius! The one who reviewed because there were no more chapters. More chapters there are! Trish! Another humongous encouragement. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter! Lunatic, LiquidDiamond, marie, Yuliya, lisa, bboarding323, and kiare: I remember you all! I miss you all! Please, let me know that I have not board you to death. *strikes a dramatic pose and tries to think of a quote* . . . . *still thinking* . . . . . *still thinking* . . . . I guess Tess took them all, but I do miss you all. Please, drop me a line! *cries more* I think you get the point. Now that I've made a fool of myself, I will go. Just remember that I miss and remember each and very one of you. I love you all . . . . *gets dragged off stage, ranting and raving. Oh well*
